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<html>
  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text-html; charset=Windows-1252">
    <title>
      overview
    </title>
    <link rel="stylesheet" href="../css/help.css" type="text/css">
  </head>
  <body>
    <h1>
      Overview
    </h1>
    <p>
      The Version Information Editor greatly simplifies the creation of <a
        href="whatis-vistatement.htm"
      >VERSIONINFO resource statements</a> for inclusion in Windows <a
        href="whatis-resfile.htm"
      >resource files</a>. These resources, when compiled by a resource file
      compiler, enable version information to be embedded in application, DLL
      and other types of file recognised by Windows.
    </p>
    <p>
      Key features of the editor are that it:
    </p>
    <ul>
      <li>
        Provides a graphical way of editing all the different components of a
        version information resource and can validate changes.<br><a
          href="howto-editdoc.htm"
        >Learn more</a>.
      </li>
      <li>
        Has special macro-like <a
          href="whatis-fields.htm"
        >fields</a> can be embedded in string file information that automate
        some common update tasks, such as keeping the version numbers in the
        <em>ProductVersion</em> and <em>FileVersion</em> string info items in
        sync with those in fixed file info.<br><a
          href="howto-fields.htm"
        >Learn how to use fields</a>.
      </li>
      <li>
        Can check edited documents for errors.<br><a
          href="howto-analyse.htm"
        >Learn more</a>.
      </li>
      <li>
        Can be <a
          href="howto-rescompiler.htm"
        >configured</a> to work with a 3rd party resource compiler to generate
        binary resource files.
      </li>
      <li>
        Supports comments in both the native <a
          href="whatis-vifile.htm"
        >version information file format</a> and in exported resource files.
      </li>
      <li>
        Uses its own text based file format to store version information for
        later updating. The file format is simple enough to be hand edited if
        necessary.
      </li>
      <li>
        Can be used in automated build systems to generate resource source files
        from native version information files. This is achieved by using one of
        the progam's  <a
          href="cmdline.htm"
        >command line options</a> that cause it to perform the code generation
        silently, without displaying a window.
      </li>
    </ul>
    <p>
      For further information on using the program see the <a
        href="howto.htm"
      >How Do I?</a> topics.
    </p>
  </body>
</html>
